State News

Illinois last Top 200 list could be one of the toughest for voters. The list of Illinois' top moments includes the good: The Lincoln-Douglas debates and the Cubs' World Series win. The bad: Rod Blagojevich's arrest, and the riots at...

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is sending his office's police force to shopping malls across the state to catch people who are illegally parking in spots reserved for the disabled. Starting on Friday, White’s office will be sending its...

House Republicans say they are having to play by different rules to get public works grants to their local districts. The budget passed in May included guaranteed funding for millions of dollars in grants for local infrastructure projects. For example,...

Incoming Gov. J.B. Pritzker is preparing to take office, but his legal team is still fighting discrimination claims made against his election campaign. Pritzker’s attorneys filed a motion to have the racial discrimination lawsuit filed by campaign workers dismissed. The...

If your turkey is not out of the freezer by now, you're going to have ham for Thanksgiving dinner this year. It's likely too late to safely thaw a 15-pound bird before the big meal, Illinois Department of Public Health's...

Whether there’s a class action lawsuit against a theme park for collecting fingerprints of minors without parental consent may depend on how the Illinois Supreme Court rules on a case it heard Tuesday. The question of whether someone is harmed...

Incoming Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently got candid about pensions and one-party rule with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Pritzker was the guest of Emanuel’s weekly podcast, Chicago Stories. Pritzker did open up about what he wants to accomplish in his...

Illinoisans aren’t recycling as much as their neighbors. And when they do, they don't always do it properly, meaning some towns with bad recycling habits could lose their recycling programs or end up paying more to keep them. This is...

In what one analyst called an alarming trend, nearly one-quarter of jobs created in the past year in Illinois were government positions. Government jobs in Illinois outpaced manufacturing jobs in the most recent jobs report from the Illinois Department of...

Most of the state's public universities want double-digit funding increases next year, but one member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education said that's just not possible without additional tax hikes. The state's nine universities last month turned over budget...

Fried or smoked turkey is delicious. But the Illinois State Fire Marshal wants to make sure everyone enjoys that deliciousness safely. Open flames and hot oil don't mix. The Illinois State Fire Marshal's office is reminding people of that fact...

Taxpayers could be on the hook for bigger payouts to those wronged by the state with a bill headed for a possible veto override. Last week the Senate voted to override Senate Bill 2481 which increases the cap on awards...

In Illinois, next year’s legislative leaders are the same as this year’s, which is a cause of concern for some. The Senate already chose legislative leaders ceremonially, and they will stay the same as they are now for both the...

Three communities in the Rockford area have landed at the top of a list of healthiest housing markets in the state. Rockton, Machesney Park, and Roscoe took three of the top four spots on the list produced by financial company...

The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched an antibiotic awareness campaign to get people to think twice before taking the commonly overused medication. While antibiotics can save lives, people tend to use them when they’re not needed. As much...

Two Illinois lawmakers are calling for a closer look at the financial ties between the state-run Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the private foundation that supports it. Central Illinois Republican State Sen. Jason Barickman and state Rep. Tim...

Illinois is a step closer to giving more legal protection to illegal immigrants. The idea behind the plan approved by the Illinois Senate is to give people who are not in this county legally some legal protection when they go...

State lawmakers and visitors to the capitol this week witnessed a robot prototype that seemingly came straight out of a "Star Wars" movie. Is this the droid you’ve been looking for? While walking around at the capitol in Springfield this...

An Illinois teen won't face felony eavesdropping charges for recording a talk with a school principal after prosecutors decided to drop the matter Thursday after the case got national attention. Kankakee County State’s Attorney Jim Rowe dismissed the charges against...

Republicans will have to reach pretty far across the aisle in the 101st General Assembly if they want to get anything done next year. The 101st General Assembly will be seated in January, but lawmakers in the 100th General Assembly...

With Democrats firmly in control of all Illinois branches of government, the future of the state’s private school scholarship program – and the thousands of students that are using it – is uncertain. As part of last year’s sweeping school...

Counties would have more flexibility with sales tax dollars meant for public safety under a bill that has been sent to the Illinois House. In counties were voters had previously approved tax hikes to fund public safety, the bill would...

Illinois deer hunters have been in the field for over a month, but the state's most popular deer season begins this weekend. The first weekend of shotgun deer season will bring thousands and thousands of hunters out across the state...

A group of Illinois lawmakers are promoting legislation that would use a combination of state, local and federal funds to put metal detectors in every school in the state, but some school leaders say it’s simply not feasible. State Rep....

It’s easy to criticize longevity in politics. “Career politician” is a pejorative for a reason. But there’s a big difference between persistent public service and a political machine. Unfortunately, the latter has won out in the Illinois General Assembly. Senate...

Taxpayers gathered at the Illinois capitol Wednesday to share concerns about the state's high taxes. Connie Cain came to Springfield from Gilberts, Illinois. She said her chief concern is property taxes, and not being able to sell her home if...

Lawmakers in the House could soon decide to raise the age limit for buying tobacco products to 21 despite a veto from the governor. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday with enough votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto. It...

At least two floors of the Illinois Capitol were evacuated Wednesday afternoon on the second day of the fall veto session after an apparent bomb threat. The third and fourth floors of the building were evacuated. The House was called...

Picketers rallied outside a Chicago Target store this week, protesting the retail giant's decision to close two stores on the city's South Side. That's their right, but perhaps these picketers also should have rallied outside of City Hall – and...

Believe it or not, Illinois is one list away from its final Top 200 list. The voting at IllinoisTop200.com is almost complete. Bicentennial best-of voters last week picked Abraham Lincoln as the state's best leader. That was the second-to-last list....

What makes a state a great place to live? A new report narrows it to three factors and ranks Illinois in the middle of the pack at number 21. The financial and opinion website 24/7 Wall St. used three socioeconomic...

Despite offering over $1 billion in tax incentives and other perks to lure online retail giant Amazon, Illinois won’t get the company's $5 billion investment or thousands of high-paying jobs. Amazon announced Tuesday that it plans to split its new...

The leaders of a private foundation that supports the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield told Illinois lawmakers that the organization is prepared to sell prized Abraham Lincoln artifacts to pay off a multi-million loan unless the state...

It's that time of year again, time to get ready to drive in the snow and ice. AAA's Beth Mosher said anyone who's driven in Illinois has heard winter weather driving advice before. But she said it bears repeating. November...

A federal judge said the Illinois Department of Corrections has failed to meet the needs of mentally ill prison inmates. The finding comes two years after the state reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by former inmates. That 2016...

J.B. Pritzker, Illinois' next governor, promised higher taxes on the wealthy would provide for new state revenue to spend on everything from roads to schools, but some tax experts say other states have sometimes had trouble collecting from wealthier residents...

More than 100 Illinois schools reported half of their students were chronically absent. Statewide, Illinois schools reported slightly more absenteeism than the national average. Some individual schools reported alarming rates of kids missing class. When a child is missing for...

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner marked Veterans Day by telling Illinois vets that the state can never repay them for their service. Governor Rauner spent Veterans Day talking to vets in Chicago. He simply told them: Thank you. "We are the...

Sustainable farming practices in Illinois designed to improve water quality also face a financial test. Through emerging projects like Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, farmers are working to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels in their soil to prevent runoff into what...

Most of the election dust has settled, and lawmakers are headed back to the capitol on Tuesday to address some of the 78 bills that outgoing Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed over the summer. Rauner lost reelection last week to Democrat...

State representatives have conflicting goals headed into an Illinois House tourism committee hearing about a hat the private Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Foundation bought and then sought tax dollars to foot the bill. More than a decade ago,...

Most employers in Illinois will see reduced payroll taxes in 2019 as unemployment continues to decline. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced lowering unemployment insurance taxes for more than 90 percent of employers in 2019. Nearly 300,000 businesses will...

Small businesses in Illinois and across the country can't find enough workers to fill open positions. That’s the word from a recent national survey from the National Federation of Independent Business in which nearly 90-percent of respondents reported few or...

Illinois' bicentennial best-of voters are looking for Illinois' best leader of the past 200 years, and it's tough. There are four presidents on Illinois' latest Top 200 list. Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. Former First Lady,...

It’s no secret that Illinois is losing population, but a new report found that one Illinois town is losing its educated people at a faster clip than every other town in the nation except one. Local officials say the report...

Illinois officials and religious leaders are hoping the National Donor Sabbath this weekend will convince people to look past some of the common misconceptions about organ donation. The National Donor Sabbath runs this Friday through the weekend. Illinois officials use...

Governor-elect J.B. Pritzker said he wants to legalize marijuana for recreational use soon after taking office, but even advocates say it won't fix the state’s budget problems. Michigan voters approved a referendum Tuesday to legalize recreational marijuana use. State Rep....

In a measure of how much property owners pay in taxes, Illinoisans pay more than all but just a couple states in New England. In their annual <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/ranking-property-taxes-on-the-2019-state-business-tax-climate-index">business tax climate index</a>, the nonprofit Tax Foundation put’s Illinois at fifth...

Sports

joshuaandjeffrey/Instagram(NEW YORK) -- When retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend, becoming the first ex-NFL player to be in a same-sex marriage, he said the decision was a relief after living in the...

ABCNews.com(PITTSBURGH) -- One hockey fan's homemade sign ultimately saved her life after she used it to ask strangers for a kidney donation.Kelly Sowatsky, 31, was desperately in need of a kidney. So last April she took matters into her own...

Joe Faraoni / ESPN Images(LAS VEGAS) -- The UFC announced on Tuesday it plans to open the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) training facility in Shanghai next year.UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will measure more than 93,000 square feet, making...

Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(NEW YORK) -- The New York Yankees acquired ace pitcher James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners on Monday.In exchange for Paxton, the Yankees sent three prospects to Seattle: left-handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, right-handed...

ABC News(BOSTON) -- Since he was a young boy, Gage Senter has loved hockey.Three years ago, Senter was a high school freshman in Merrimac, Massachusetts, when he made the varsity starting lineup as a center."It was the most important thing...

iStock/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) -- Retired NFL player Jeff Rohrer tied the knot with Joshua Ross over the weekend in Los Angeles, making the former linebacker one of the first ex-NFL players to proudly be in a same-sex marriage.The former Cowboys star,...

Mai Shangmin/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images(MACAU, China) -- A teenage race driver is lucky to be alive today after a crash that stunned everyone at the Macau Grand Prix in China over the weekend.Sophia Floersch, a member of the...